


Candlelight and Supernovas

by Faequeen40



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: A little bit of Lance being sad, Birthdays, Comfort, Face Masks, Gen, Homesickness, Hunk as the best party planner ever, Lance's Birthday Week 2017, Platonic Relationships, Space Racing, Teambuilding, impromptu dance parties, surprise parties
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-12-05 21:45:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11586819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faequeen40/pseuds/Faequeen40
Summary: Deep in space, Lance is really missing his family as his birthday comes up.The Voltron crew go about trying to throw him a birthday party.My contribution for Lance's Birthday Week!





	1. Family

**Author's Note:**

> I love Lance so flipping much, so clearly I was going to be participating in this wonderful week. I'm going to do my best to post each day so this definitely is going to be shorter than some of my other works.  
> This will also be crossposted to my Tumblr! [ Here!](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/faequeen40)  
> Happy Birthday Week to our favorite blue boy!  
> Enjoy!

Despite the high of victory from their previous skirmish, Hunk could tell that something was bothering Lance. It was clear in the way he withdrew from the rest of the team, the way he snuck off by himself to the observation deck. Quietly, Hunk followed after his best friend, watching solemnly as Lance fiddled with the controls to broadcast the universe to the walls.

The Blue Paladin stared up at the infinite cosmos, real and artificial starlight reflecting off his cerulean eyes. Hunk’s heart broke as he watched, a few tears escaping Lance’s eyes as he looked upward.

Unable to stand it any longer, Hunk stepped into the room and cleared his throat. Lance jumped at the intrusion, hastily wiping the back of his hand over his teary eyes. “Hey, Hunk. What brings you up here buddy?” He said cheerily, the forced quality of it making Hunk want to wince.

“What’s wrong, Lance?”

Clear blue met warm brown for a moment before Lance let the false smile drop from his face, looking back to the stars longingly. “You remember how Pidge made that calendar? The one hanging in the dining room?”

Hunk nodded quietly, unsure of where this conversation was going as it was currently near the end of July. They weren’t missing Christmas or Easter or any of the other holidays that Lance and his family were so fond of.

“My birthday is this week.” Lance admitted with a sniffle, walking over to the wall so he could slide down to the floor, the edges of his armor scraping against the metal.

Abruptly, Hunk felt awful. How had he forgotten?

Lance was his oldest friend in the world and he had forgotten his birthday!

No wonder Lance was bummed.

“It isn’t for a few more days but just thinking about it is making me miss my family so much, Hunk.” Lance continued, oblivious to Hunk’s minor freak out, “We always held such big parties for birthdays. Everyone who could make it came in. I can remember Mama bustling around making enough food to feed an army and drafting anyone she could get her hands on.”

Lance let out a watery chuckle at the memory, the noise snapping Hunk out of his own funk. He made his way to Lance’s side, sliding down the wall until he hit the floor as well. Lance was a slight, warm weight at his side and Hunk let him curl closer, Lance’s head resting gently against his shoulder.

“There was so much life and color, especially around my birthday. I’m the youngest so Mama always tried to go above and beyond. My niblings always tried so hard too on my birthday. I miss them so much, Hunk.” Lance breathed, his voice trembling, “I love you guys and I think of you as family but it…it’s not the same.”

Hunk nodded sympathetically. “Well, tell me more about what your parties were like. Maybe that would help?”

As Lance launched into the craziness that characterized his memories of his birthday, things like his mother’s _tres leche_ cake and the games we would play with his siblings and cousins, Hunk was planning.

They hadn’t made a huge deal out of birthdays for the other paladins, mostly out of a respect for what they wanted and a bit of ignorance in regards to when their birthdays were.

They still didn’t know when Keith’s birthday was and the Red Paladin in question was keeping tight-lipped on the subject.

But maybe that was something that needed to change. They were a team, a dysfunctional family of space misfits pin balling through the universe trying to rescue everyone from an evil furry dictator.

They could afford to throw a birthday party for their Blue Paladin.

So Hunk sat quietly, listening to Lance reminisce and mentally taking notes. It wouldn’t be perfect and it certainly wouldn’t be the same as what Lance remembered.

That didn’t stop him from wanting to try.

Hunk was gonna throw Lance the best space birthday party he could.

Lance talked until he finally fell asleep, tear trails drying on his face. As carefully as he could, Hunk gathered Lance up in his arms, walking him back to his room. It took him back to their Garrison days when Lance would fall asleep in the dorm common room, pouring over books with his headphones blaring music.

Hunk had carried him to bed then too.

Upon reaching Lance’s room, he caught Keith’s curious eyes and the brief flash of worry in them. “He’s okay.” Hunk said quietly, “But I do need to talk to everyone. Could you get them to meet in the kitchen?”

After a moment of hesitation, Keith nodded, disappearing back into the castle proper with a silence that had once unnerved Hunk. Now he just understood that Keith didn’t mean to be off-putting or unapproachable. He was just a socially awkward ninja turtle.

Hunk chuckled at his own mental comparison, settling Lance on his bed and swiftly unbuckling the larger panels of armor so Lance would be more comfortable.

Falling asleep in armor wasn’t exactly the best feeling in the world but if the bigger panels were taken off, it wasn’t too horribly bad. Hunk knew from experience.

They weren’t always fortunate enough to make it back to the Castle after battles. Sometimes they had to rough it.

Shaking off those thoughts, Hunk pulled Lance’s covers up and nodded, moving from the bedside to the door. “Thank you, Hunk.” He heard whispered from across the room.

“No problem buddy.”

Intent upon his purpose, Hunk marched from the room and into the kitchen, relieved to see that Keith had managed to corral the rest of the Castle into the room. They looked to him anxiously, clearly worried about why he would have called such an impromptu meeting.

“Before you all freak out, everything is fine.”

Allura frowned at his words, crossing her arms over her chest imperiously. “If it wasn’t an emergency, then why did you call us together?”

“I don’t know if you all know but Lance’s birthday is this week.” Hunk tried, unsure of how to ask for a party, “I want to do something for him. As a team, space family thing. Whatever we’re calling this now. I want us to do something for him.”

“Like a party?” Pidge interjected, lifting one eyebrow.

Allura’s outlook immediately improved and she clapped her hands together. “A party?”

“I mean, if that’s okay…”

Coran looked at him pensively before looking to Allura. “Birthday, hmm. That sounds a bit like our First Day ceremony.”

“First Day?” Shiro asked, as curious as ever when it came to alien customs.

“On Altea, we didn’t celebrate the actual day of one’s birth.” Allura explained patiently, “We typically celebrated on the day after. It was a way to celebrate your first full day of life. That became the day you celebrated each year.”

“That’s pretty cool actually. Maybe we could find a way to merge the two?” Hunk offered, heart lifting at the brightness that came onto the two Altean’s faces.

“Hunk, my boy, that is a fantastic idea. I daresay, a phenomenal one.” Coran crowed, “I have noticed that Lance has been a bit down as well.”

“Lance’s family was really invested in birthdays. He was the youngest so they did make a big deal out of his birthday.” Hunk explained, “It would be good for all of us to celebrate something. And I know we celebrate every time we liberate a planet but this is different.”

“This would be a good way to bond with each other too.” Shiro nodded, a proud smile on his face.

Hesitantly, Keith nodded as well. “Is there anything in particular that you had in mind, Hunk? You said it was this week, right? That means we don’t have a lot of time.”

Hunk inclined his head, beaming brightly at his teammates.

They were really going to do this.

With a flex of his fingers, he started outlining his plan, the others listening intently.

Lance was going to have the best birthday party


	2. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge cannot seem to figure out what to do for Lance's birthday. Luckily, the man of the hour comes to the rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heck yeah, Day Two!!  
> This time we're gonna be hanging out in Pidge's head, who is one of my favorite characters to write in Voltron.  
> Enjoy!

Pidge had never really had a lot of friends in her life. Most people had found her intellect and general demeanor off-putting and that was before the incident at Kerberos that had changed her family forever.

She’d never been one for large birthday parties or similar social gatherings. Even at Christmas, she’d piggy-backed off Matt’s ideas on what to get their parents or snuck through Matt’s Amazon wish list to figure out what to get him.

As such, she had absolutely no clue what to do for Lance’s birthday.

There weren’t exactly Amazon wish lists in space.

She curled up in the common room with her laptop, frustration creasing her face and furrowing her brows. This definitely wasn’t something that she enjoyed. While she loved Team Voltron and considered them her second family, she didn’t really know them well.

Even back at the Garrison she had kept Hunk and Lance at arm’s length, too intent on finding her family and wading through the miles of government conspiracy to get to know her teammates. Lance had tried valiantly to include her, despite her curt words and frosty demeanor.

She wished she’d taken him up on more of his offers, even the dumb ones like sneaking out of the Garrison after hours. The stories Hunk told of their escapades never failed to make her laugh and a part of her wished that she’d been part of it.

With a heavy sigh, she glared at the blank page in front of her, the blinking cursor almost taunting her. “I have no idea what to do.” She groaned, letting her head thump back against the cushion of the couch.

Almost as if on cue, the object of her frustration appeared in her line of vision, a wide grin plastered on his face. “Sup, Pidgey.” He smirked, megawatt smile turned up to eleven.

She would never understand how he managed to be so positive out here, to be a beacon of noise and life no matter where he was in the castle. Sure there were times that she wished he was a little _less_ loud but the idea of never hearing him singing down the hallways or crowing in delight from the kitchen made her blood run cold.

He must know how much they appreciated him for what he did, right? She knew she did. Without him, she might have actually gone insane out her in the middle of space, dropped smack dab in the middle of a war that had raged for millennia.

“You’re looking a little frustrated.” Lance frowned, his perfect eyebrows furrowing, “Everything cool?”

Another thing she didn’t understand.

How the hell did he manage to look so put together every damn day? Was that something she could contribute to for his birthday?

Only, she knew absolutely nothing about what he did to make his skin look borderline flawless. The only person on the ship with smoother skin was the Princess and Pidge was pretty sure that Allura practiced some kind of witchcraft with her ability to _always_ look disgustingly pristine.

Even during a sparring match.

“Everything’s fine, Lance.” Pidge sighed at last, noticing the worried glint in cerulean eyes when she failed to respond after the appropriate amount of time, “I’m just stumped.”

Lance hummed thoughtfully, nodding along. “Well, knowing you, it’s probably some crazy, convoluted thing that may or may not make my eyes cross. So I’m definitely not going to be much help in reasoning it out but I could help you get your mind off of it for a minute?” He offered, “Sometimes, you just have to take a step back and think about something else for a bit before the answer will come to you.”

Pidge resisted the urge to snort at the sweet Paladin above her. It had the makings of a solid strategy if she were really stumped with a complex equation. But the current focus of her frustration was literally looming over her, lanky limbs arranged artlessly as he stood.

“And what would you suggest for taking my mind off my problem?” She queried, raising her own eyebrow.

She was curious. What did Lance do to distract himself? She’d never paid a lot of attention back at the Garrison. She didn’t know what he did when a question frustrated him or how he reacted when he couldn’t solve something.

“Easy, Pidgeotto. Get some music going and dance it out.” Lance crowed, vaulting over the back of the couch, one foot coming so dangerously close to her laptop screen that she squawked in alarm.

“Yeah, no. I don’t know how to dance.” Pidge said dryly, watching as Lance only clicked his tongue at her.

“You don’t actually have to know how to dance in order to dance out your frustration. Sometimes, it’s all about just dancing horribly to shake it off.” He smirked, “But I can teach you how to actually dance, if you want.”

“Actually dance, like how? Because I already know about the twerking thing with Hunk and I’m gonna have to pass on that.”

“Nah. You’re not twerking material, short stack. Hunk is perfect for it.” Lance laughed, “My Mama taught me how to salsa when I was little. You might enjoy it. There’s a very specific way to do it. Set steps and everything. Something for your nerd brain to memorize.”

Pidge frowned deeply at him, unsure of how to take his offer. Should she go for it? Finally participate in a Lance activity?

It might help her get an idea.

“You know what? Fine. Teach me how to salsa, party boy.” Pidge huffed, carefully closing her laptop and sitting it to the side.

Lance whooped and danced back, a genuine smile pulling at his face as he searched for his phone, basically doing the Macarena as he tried to figure out where he put it last. Pidge couldn’t help but laugh at his antics, already beginning to have fun despite herself.

It could be worth it to hang out with the others more. Sure they were still at war and there was nothing that she would let come between her and finding her family, but it would be good to appreciate the family she had here.

These boys had really come through for her and she would protect them with every fiber of her being.

Someone had to keep them in line after all.

At last, Lance managed to find his elusive cellular device, the screen lighting up at his touch. She eyed it curiously, an itch at the back of her mind telling her all the ways that she could improve the tiny box. Especially with all the Altean technology at her disposal.

Lance caught her hungry look for only a minute before he wagged his finger at her. “No no. This one is mine. No Pidge upgrades. This thing works perfectly fine.”

Bubble popped, Pidge pouted and Lance laughed, a distinctly Spanish song erupting from the phone’s tinny speakers. He fiddled with the volume for a minute, turning it down so that it played gently in the background before stepping up to Pidge.

When he stood this close, it was little overwhelming how tall he was. It made her frown deeply.

She hated being short sometimes.

Without preamble, he took her hands gently, guiding one to his shoulder and holding the other. Due to their different in height, she couldn’t fully curl her hand over his shoulder and he let his rest on her shoulder as well.

It was an awkward way to place their arms but it kept him from having to really stoop and her from having to stand on her tiptoes. “Okay, so since I know how this goes, I’ll lead but I can teach you the steps from both ways if you want to lead.”

Pidge focused intently on Lance’s instructions as they moved through the steps, doing her best to imitate Lance’s smooth, flowing motions. While he may come across as kind of clumsy in certain situations, he really did move very well.

And he was a very good teacher, Pidge realized. The pattern was simple the way he explained it and to be honest, he was right. It gave her something to memorize and that made all the difference. It let her focus on a set pattern. There was always something after it, each movement flowed into the next seamlessly.

After she’d managed the simple pattern, Lance began to push a bit more, swiveling his hips as he stepped forward, the motion perfectly in time with the quiet music in the background. Pidge couldn’t help but snicker at how into it he was, an exaggerated wink coming her way as the vocals trilled.

“So how much music did you have downloaded to your phone?” She asked curiously, the tracks moving seamlessly from one into another.

“Only about 20 songs or so. I had a lot more on my iPod but I clearly didn’t think my packing choices through.” Lance sighed, “I wish I had more of my music. I love the stuff I’ve got but I miss the other songs. You know, the ones that aren’t perfect for salsa dancing.”

“Why are those the only ones on your phone?” Pidge deadpanned, a little worried about the answer.

“So I’m always ready for an impromptu dance party?” Lance grinned, making Pidge groan at him.

They continued dancing in the pattern, ignoring the tap of footsteps as the others gathered in the doorway.

“What are you two doing?” Allura asked at last, drawing Lance’s attention to where the others watched curiously.

“This would be salsa dancing, Princess. Pidge needed a distraction so that she could solve her problem.” Lance explained with a wink, not even missing a step as he twirled Pidge around, “And I happen to be a perfect distraction.”

“It’s very…interesting.” Allura said slowly, a glimmer of interest entering her eyes.

“I can teach you too if you want.” Lance offered, slowing to a stop and turning to face the others.

Pidge looked up at him curiously, a glimmer of an idea coming to her. She continued to think about it even as Allura eagerly darted forward to take her place, the thrill of learning something new making her act like the young adult she really was.

Hunk moseyed in and took charge of Lance’s phone, adjusting the volume so it was more audible and pronouncing himself DJ.

Lance only laughed as he worked his way through the paladins, Allura, and Coran, the glow of happiness to his face too genuine to be faked.

She had it.

Maybe, if she utilized the scraps of the satellite she had built after their wormhole separation, she could generate a strong enough signal to piggy-back off of one of the Earth satellites.

Once she had that, she could track down Lance’s iTunes account….and hack it.

Pidge didn’t think he would mind too much.

This was it. She finally thought of a gift to give her friend.


	3. Love/Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura is feeling the homesickness. An empathetic Lance comes to the rescue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the idea of Allura and Lance having a more platonic, sibling like relationship. Its cute and I think that it makes for a really interesting dynamic between the two characters.  
> Hence, Day Three!  
> Enjoy!

The quiet of the Castle of Lions was overwhelming sometimes. Even as she sat alone in one of rooms the Paladins had reclaimed for recreation, Allura couldn’t help but crave the boisterous presence of her Paladins.

They were a far cry from their predecessors but she couldn’t help but think that they were perfect. The previous Paladins were what _Altea_ had needed, remarkable warriors that had served her father with tenacity and poise. Her Paladins were barely out of adolescence, reckless and wild.

They were perfect. And what the _universe_ needed.

But despite their energy and strength, she longed for the world she had known. The festivals and ceremonies of her home world were largely lost. Only she and Coran remembered them. Ten thousand years was a terribly long time and hardly anyone remembered that Alteans existed.

It hurt.

It hurt to know that her people, her culture, and even her entire planet were nothing but legends to the citizens of the universe now, the very citizens she and her team were trying to protect and defend.

Unable to stand the quiet of her chambers, she’d ventured out and settled herself into the room they frequently used for movie night, the soft pajamas she’d adapted from the style of the Paladin’s clothing pooling around her feet in an almost comforting way.

She missed home. She missed her family and her people.

Her very soul ached for them and the knowledge that she wouldn’t get to see the world she had known threatened to tear her apart from the inside.

So Allura sat and stared out windows at the stars, letting some of that sadness escape in the form of tears. She didn’t let herself make noise, no big heaving sobs or shuddering breaths.

Only silent tears that dropped onto her hands with gentle patters.

It was so quiet.

A gentle cough caught her attention and she wiped at her eyes frantically before whirling on her intruder. “Yes, what is it?” She rushed, trying to recall her previous composure.

Her eyes widened when she saw Lance standing nearby, an empathetic frown on his face. “I’m sorry to sneak up on you, Princess, but are you okay?”

Silence reigned for a moment before Allura drew herself up, pressing her feet to the floor from her previously curled up position. “I’m perfectly fine, Lance. Is there something that you needed?”

“No…” Lance mumbled, “I just thought I’d left my phone in here and I was looking for it. And I respect that you say you’re fine but if you need to talk, you know you can talk to us, right?”

Abruptly, Allura felt guilty and she fiddled with her fingers. “I thank you for your concern, Lance, but I don’t wish to bother any of you. I am fine.”

Lance nodded slowly, his hands clasping behind his back nervously. “If you’re sure.” He replied, “I’m sorry, again, for sneaking up on you. I’ll see you later.”

He made to leave, clearly intent on letting her remain in silence. He didn’t believe that she was okay but he was willing to give her the space that she needed.

Her Paladins really were too good. They were kind and empathetic even if they were young. Barely out of childhood and yet here they were, fighting a war that had been raging since before their civilization even dreamed of the stars.

Perhaps she could reach back to her Paladins. While Shiro would be a better sounding board for the struggles of leadership and the fears of what the war would bring, maybe Lance would understand her longing for home.

He was the most homesick out of all the Paladins, a fact that had made her heart ache with empathetic pain. He was the reason they would be celebrating later this week, a party of Hunk’s creation that managed to combine many of Lance’s childhood memories of his birthday parties with the basics of the First Day ceremony.

Lance was so giving of himself and his time. Yesterday had been a great distraction and she’d had a ball learning the steps to the Earth “salsa”. He gave so much. Maybe it was time that she gave back.

“Actually…” She started, her voice shaking a bit as she caught his attention.

He stopped immediately, turning back to look at her with wide blue eyes, their hue similar to deep sea glaciers of Altea’s far north. It almost hurt to think about but she steeled herself, letting her shoulders drop and drawing her knees back to her chest.

“I miss my home.”

Lance’s expression immediately darkened with understanding and he took a few hesitant steps back towards her, his body language carefully kept open and friendly.

“I miss my father. I miss my people and my planet.” Allura continued, the words wrenching themselves from her chest now that she’d started, “I miss the festivals and celebrations. I miss the hustle and bustle of the Castle around my First Day ceremony. And it hurts to know that it’s gone. That it’s been gone for ten thousand years. My people are a fairy tale. No one believes that we existed.”

The empathy in Lance’s expression was hard to look at. She couldn’t stand to maintain eye contact as he came to sit beside her, carefully keeping a respectful distance between them while staying close enough to convey comfort.

He’d come a long way from the terrible flirt she’d met at first. It had been a long time since he had flirted with her in earnest and she appreciated how he had turned the endeavor into a more humorous occasion. He helped her laugh, sometimes in situations that were completely inappropriate, but it was something she needed.

However, she wished that the Paladins didn’t need to treat her so informally all the time. She wanted the intimacy of true friendships. She’d hoped to have something like that with Pidge upon her gender reveal but she had found that to be an idle wish.

Not that she didn’t understand now, of course. Pidge was an excellent ally and friend but she wasn’t the sister figure that Allura had wished for.

“What’s a First Day ceremony?” Lance asked curiously, his prodding gentle as he made himself comfortable on the couch.

She smiled at his curiosity, letting her cheek rest on her knees. “From what I’ve gathered, it’s very similar to the birthday celebration on your planet.” She began, not missing the slight flinch Lance gave when she mentioned birthdays, “However, Alteans traditionally celebrated the day after one was born. In some areas, infant mortality was bad and children wouldn’t survive their first night. Therefore, we began to celebrate the day after. It was a celebration of each year the child lived and also an expression of thankfulness that the child lived through the first night.”

Lance seemed enthralled by her explanation and a part of her truly felt better at the retelling of her culture. “That sounds really cool. You guys never figured out what caused the infant mortality? Your technology was so advanced.”

“We did determine that it had something to do with the child’s quintessence. Alteans are very attuned to the quintessence of the universe and sometimes children came into the world unable to take that sudden strain.” Allura said gravely, a familiar sadness filling her at the thought, “There wasn’t anything we could do.”

Lance nodded solemnly. “On Earth, we have things like sudden infant death syndrome. A lot of babies just seemed to die and no one could figure it out. It wasn’t until about a decade ago that we figured out that most of the babies were being put to sleep on their stomachs. Their necks weren’t strong enough to lift so they suffocated. It was really sad and I was so worried when my niece and nephews were born.”

“You’re an uncle?”

“Yup. The best.” Lance bragged, “I took care of my niblings all the time.”

His expression immediately dropped and he began to curl into himself as well, some of the respectful distance falling away as he grew quiet.

Allura let herself just appreciate his presence for a moment before he let out a wet chuckle. “You know, you remind me a lot of my older sister. She would just sit down with me sometimes and we’d just dish. If I had a bad week, she’d sit me down and we’d do face masks and I’d braid her hair. It was nice. Comforting even.”

“I had a few friends among the nobility that I would sleep over with when I was a child.” Allura admitted, “It wasn’t anything like the intimacy you all seem to have. Everyone kept me at a more respectful distance because of my title. I understand but it was something that I had always wondered about.”

Lance hummed in consideration for a moment before he gave Allura a shy smile, the look so adorable that Allura had to resist the urge to squeeze him like a stuffed animal. “I have face masks in my room?” He offered hesitantly, “And I could braid your hair if you want? I got pretty good at it. We could put on those Altean soap operas that you like and you could tell me about some of the other celebrations from Altea?”

Allura was floored by his offer and her eyes welled without her permission. “Really?”

“Well, yeah.” Lance said awkwardly, “It always helped comfort me when I was feeling down and we need our Princess in fighting form. Plus, it’ll make me feel better too. Maybe it’ll make us a little less homesick?”

Determined, Allura nodded, surging to her feet. “Meet me back here in ten. I have to go grab my hairbrush.”

Despite how startled Lance was by her sudden movement, he smirked, shooting off in the opposite direction. She ran to her room, gathering up everything she thought they would need before rushing back to the recreational room, draping her enormous comforter over the couch and letting it pool on the floor.

It was her favorite blanket.

She’d just started setting up the old Altean soap operas that she loved, still amused at how adamant most of the other Paladins were about not watching. Lance was the only one who didn’t seem to mind them. They’d even tested Shiro’s eternal patience.

The thought made her giggle.

Lance skidded through the door, multiple tubes clutched in his hands even as he hugged several pillows, nearly breathless as he slumped beside her.

“Okay, so what next?” She asked, a bit of excitement building in her chest.

She’d always wanted to do something like this. Just be a normal girl for a bit and do some traditional friend activities with someone else.

“We’ll go ahead and do the masks first so you should put your hair up for now. This stuff does not like to come off hair easy.” Lance advised, fiddling with the tubes in his hand as Allura pulled her heavy tresses up into some form of bun.

It was messy and would likely give her old etiquette teacher a heart attack. But she couldn’t bring herself to care. She listened as Lance explained how the masks worked and handed her a tube, expertly smearing the green goo-like substance over his face.

Allura followed his lead, giggling at how strange it felt on her skin. Lance cracked a wide smile even as he continued putting on his mask. After a moment, he reached over and corrected some of the spots where the mask hadn’t spread well over Allura’s skin.

It was nice.

Her favorite show played in the background, the mask tingled on her skin and after carefully cleaning his hands, Lance was steadily pulling her hair into an incredibly complex braid.

She felt comfortable and happy.

She let herself relax, words falling off her tongue without even a thought. She spoke of the many festivals of Altea, even the most mundane.

Their night passed calmly, stories and explanations passed back and forth until Lance eventually fell asleep, his head pillowed on Allura’s shoulder.

Allura was grateful for her Blue Paladin and he was going to have the best birthday/First Day celebration the universe had ever seen.

She’d make sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very bad at writing short chapters lol. Each one of these chapters just seems to get longer and longer. And there was so much more I would have loved to add to this.  
> *sigh*  
> Until next time, guys!


	4. Earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro considers things and gets to know the Blue Paladin. It goes better than he expects.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this one was a bit rushed. Life is definitely a thing but I wanted to make sure that this got done today.  
> Shiro is always a difficult character for me to write but I love him regardless. XD  
> Enjoy!

The training room had its own kind of peace, especially when he managed to find it while the rest of the team was busy. Working out his frustration and unhappy memories was therapeutic for Shiro and he appreciated the moments that he was able to have to himself.

But sometimes it would bring up things better left forgotten. The worn handle of a blade in his hand. The faceless enemy before him. The screams of the crowd.

_Champion_.

Despite his best efforts, this was the afternoon that awaited him in the training room, its familiar peace deserting him for the other side of the coin.

He was edging dangerously close to panic attack territory and Shiro desperately didn’t want that. There was an air of celebration around the castle, the rest of the occupants carefully crafting their surprises for Lance’s birthday. The last thing he wanted to do was sour such an atmosphere. There was still so much left to work on.

Sadly, Shiro was drawing a blank on what to do.

He didn’t know Lance well at all. He knew that Lance had been a member of the Garrison, an aspiring pilot along with Hunk and Pidge. He also knew that Lance had a bit of a celebrity infatuation with him at one time, following his example to even join the Garrison.

It was humbling to say the least but it didn’t help him determine what he could possibly do to contribute. He’d asked around and everyone had seemed like they had some idea. Even Keith had come up with something for the Blue Paladin.

That just left Shiro.

He’d come to the training room to maybe center his thoughts and perhaps relax enough to examine what few facts he did know about Lance.

But it was no use. The training room was doing more to scramble his brain than aid him at the moment.

He focused on his situation, hoping that the fixation would keep his panic at bay, and for the most part it seemed to help. It drowned out the yells of the crowd and blurred the image of the arena.

Nothing would ever truly dull the feeling of a worn blade handle though. He’d live with that sensation forever.

He sat in the quiet, contemplation helping calm him but pushing him no closer to the answers that he sought. Maybe he had been remiss. He’d hardly spent any time at all trying to get to know Hunk and Lance. He’d known Pidge through her brother and he’d spent a long time mentoring Keith before the disaster that was Kerberos.

Shiro could treat this as a wakeup call of sorts. What kind of decisions could he truly make as a leader if he didn’t really know his team? Their strengths and their weaknesses were only a small part of their characters and as he sat, he realized that he didn’t really know his team that well at all.

Almost as if summoned by his inner turmoil, the Blue Paladin stuck his head in the training room doors, frowning when he saw Shiro sitting alone in the middle of the room. “Oh, uh, I see that this is taken. I can come back another time?”

Startled, Shiro looked up and blinked numbly at the Blue Paladin before shaking away his previous funk, a few ideas coming to mind. “No, its fine. I don’t mind sharing the space.”

Lance nodded slowly, padding into the brightly lit room, his bayard peeking out of his jacket pocket. “I was just going to practice shooting for a bit. It might get a bit loud.”

Shiro hummed at his words, moving to his feet as Lance pulled up the adjustable targets, the motions practiced and routine.

He’d hadn’t realized that Lance trained with his bayard enough to know how to set up the target system. It made him feel a bit guilty. There was so much he didn’t know.

“So what was up with you chilling in here, boss man? The rest of the castle a bit too much?” Lance asked, his tone light even as he set himself up in front of the targets, the ease with which he lined up his shots marvelously impressive.

He truly was a sharpshooter. As Shiro watched Lance take down target after target, he couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if he could manage to get his hands on a sniper rifle.

It would probably be horribly impressive.

Maybe Allura would be able to help him track one down. She’d mentioned honing Lance’s skills to provide more cover and options to the team.

Lance turned to him at last, quirking an eyebrow and Shiro flushed, Lance’s question still hanging unanswered. “I was thinking.”

“The training deck is a bit of a strange place for that but I think I understand. Sometimes I let my mind wander when I’m shooting.” Lance admitted, lining up yet another perfect shot, “Its good practice but it can be kind of soothing too? That sounds weird when I say it out loud.”

“Honestly, I do the same thing. Sometimes I’ll come spar with the bots to clear my head. There are days when it works and then there are days…days when it only serves to raise memories I’d rather stayed forgotten.”

Lance gave him an understanding look, the empathy and lack of judgement in his gaze serving to put Shiro at ease, a calm that Shiro had always associated with the ocean washing over him.

“Anything crazy you were thinking about? Maybe talking it out would help. I know I’m a bit of a goof sometimes but I’m a good listener if you have anything you wanted to just vent about.” Lance offered, letting his bayard drop to his side and turning to face Shiro fully.

“I was thinking about you and Hunk.” Shiro sighed, crossing his arms over his chest if only to have something to do with his hands, “About how I don’t really know either of you that well at all.”

Frowning deeply, Lance reverted his weapon and shoved the object back into his pocket. “We haven’t been out in space that long, Shiro. And we were strangers when this whole thing started. It’s okay that you don’t know us fantastically well.” Lance shrugged, “I’m always willing to share if you want but you don’t have to worry about knowing us as well as you know Keith and Pidge. That kind of stuff will probably come with time.”

It was a little humbling to see how reasonable that Lance was being. Shiro had unfortunately fallen into the trap of seeing Lance as an irresponsible flirt, a member of the team who should be monitored closely and kept close to prevent mischief.

While that was certainly a part of Lance’s character, it clearly wasn’t the entirety and it left Shiro feeling slightly ashamed of himself.

“It worries me. How can I make informed decisions as your leader if I don’t understand you?”

Lance sighed and walked towards the edge of the room, ushering Shiro to follow him almost awkwardly. Almost as if he wasn’t sure how to act. Shiro knew that he was slightly intimidating to the others at certain points and it was off-putting to know that maybe Lance was uncomfortable around him.

Nevertheless, he followed after the Blue Paladin, taking a seat beside him as he sat against the wall. “Well, then shoot.” Lance grinned, “I’m ready for any question you wanna throw at me.”

Shiro opened his mouth and abruptly drew a blank. What should he ask? What would even make a difference? Where could he even start? There was so much he didn’t know. “This is harder than I thought it would be. I don’t even know what to ask.” He huffed out a laugh, seeing a slightly incredulous look on Lance’s face.

Maybe some of that hero worship had stuck around. Perhaps that’s what made it so awkward whenever they were left alone.

In that moment, Shiro was determined to knock over the pedestal Lance had given him and show him that he was just as approachable and prone to mistakes as the rest of them.

That would be his first step in really getting to know him.

After a moment, Lance barked out a laugh and let his head thunk against the wall. “We could always talk about things we miss from Earth?”

“A pretty emotional topic there, isn’t it?” Shiro asked wryly, a frown growing on his face when Lance only shrugged, “I miss the sky.”

Lance’s face lit up at Shiro’s admission and a thrill of triumph lit up Shiro’s chest.

 Well, that seemed to work.

“I miss the color and how it shifted with the weather. I used to love storms. And snow. I miss the wind too.” Shiro sighed wistfully, “There really is no wind in space. Sometimes I just want to stand in the breeze.”

He looked over to see Lance nodding enthusiastically, his head resting on his knees from where he had curled up. “Aside from my family and Earth food, I miss the ocean. I miss swimming. I would kill to be able to swim in the ocean again. But yeah... Oceans in space are a bit hard to come by.”

“I thought Allura said there was a pool in the Castle?” Shiro frowned, the frustrated sigh Lance gave only serving to confuse him further.

“Somehow? It’s on the ceiling? And Keith and I have no idea how to get it to come down. We keep meaning to ask Allura but something always comes up.” Lance explained grumpily, “Plus, it’s just not the same. It would be great to swim again but I’d really like the whole package, you know? Sand, sun, and the wind off the ocean, the way everything just smells of salt. It’s one of the things I miss the most.”

The idea that flashed through Shiro’s head was almost enough to make him pump his fist in triumph and he had to try valiantly not break into a wide grin. There had to be a planet out there _somewhere_ where the team could experience something like that.

Even if it wasn’t exactly on his birthday, if he could give that to Lance even as a promised vacation, it would make his day.

“That sounds great, Lance.” Shiro grinned, “And I can relate. The ocean is probably one of my favorite things from Earth too. I miss surfing.”

“You surfed?”

The incredulity in Lance’s voice was almost enough to make Shiro flush. “Not very well.” He said slowly, “I was learning before I left for Kerberos. Matt bet me that I couldn’t do it so I set out to prove him wrong.”

“I’m sensing a bit of a stubborn streak.” Lance teased, “And we all wonder where Keith gets it from.”

A laugh pulled itself from Shiro’s chest despite himself and he let the smile sit lightly on his face. He didn’t understand why he hadn’t tried this earlier. He’d missed out by letting the awkwardness between himself and Lance and Hunk grow.

He wouldn’t make that mistake again.

And now he had a plan. There was no way he could take Lance back to Earth.

It wasn’t safe. Not yet.

But he could do his best to bring him maybe a peace of home.

“While we’re here, would you like to spar?”

“You would squash me like a bug, Shiro.”

“Not if you were shooting at me.”

“Feeling pretty confident there, _sir?_ ”

“I don’t know, cadet. Think you can hold your own?”

“You’re on.”

Yeah, Shiro would go to the ends of the universe for his team. The least he could do would be to find a little bit of Earth.

It was for Lance’s birthday, after all.


	5. Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite what Shiro believes, Keith is absolutely drawing a blank. So he turns to the Blue Lion for help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keith is so much flipping fun to write. He's such a nuanced character. Its always an adventure trying to get into his headspace.  
> Tomorrow is Lance's birthday!!!  
> Enjoy!

Keith had lied.

He had lied through his teeth when Shiro had come to each of the other members of Team Voltron. He had no idea what to do for Lance for his birthday.

What did one even do for others on their birthday?

He’d never really celebrated his own birthday before. Between foster homes and the mess of the Garrison, there hadn’t been an opportunity.

It didn’t help that he and Lance had only just started to become friends. Their halfhearted rivalry had grown into a highly competitive friendship, one that Keith had come to value greatly.

But that didn’t mean that he had any idea what to do for the Blue Paladin.

All the others had come to some grand conclusion over the last few days in regards of what to do for Lance, usually after the paladin in question had breezed into their area and managed to distract them.

It was convenient and Keith had halfway expected Lance to swan through and gift him with some great understanding but as of yet, he’d come up empty.

Down to his last option, Keith stood awkwardly in the mouth of Blue’s hangar, looking to the large lion with an expression akin to nervousness.

Would she even respond to him? He wanted to do something nice. Something memorable.

He wanted to participate for once.

Steeling his resolve and mentally brushing off Red’s chuckle like purrs, Keith marched into Blue’s hangar, head held high and hands clenched at his sides. He walked up to Blue’s maw, pressing his fingertips gently against the cool metal.

He felt a kind of kinship with her, especially after the year he spent in the desert tracking the frequency she’d been giving off. She’d been on the fringes of his awareness for so long and sometimes he found himself missing that ever present presence.

Being bonded with Red helped but Blue _felt_ different.

Calm where Red was fury and smooth where Red was rough. He loved Red and he knew that Blue was undeniably Lance’s.

He could only hope that she would be willing to at least give him a hint.

Clearing his throat, he leaned forward, pressing his forehead above his hand on Blue’s muzzle. “Hey, Blue.” He started, his voice sounding tinny from where it reverberated off of the metal in front of him, “Lance’s birthday is tomorrow and I have nothing. I don’t know what to do.”

Silence reigned in the hangar and Keith stepped away, embarrassment coloring his face. He made to leave just as a coolness washed over his mind, the refreshing presence immediately calling him to relax.

It felt questioning, almost unsure of what he expected.

“I was looking for help. I thought that maybe you’d have an idea of what I could do for him.” Keith said quietly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Amusement and an agreement washed over him, the combination simultaneously embarrassing and relieving him.

“Thank you.”

A purr like the rolling waves answered him just as footsteps echoed in the hangar. He whirled, throwing a betrayed look to the Lion behind him as her paladin swaggered into the room.

There was nowhere to hide and he really didn’t have an explanation for why he was in the wrong hangar.

Keith groaned internally, mentally prepping himself for the conversation to come. He only hoped that he didn’t accidently blurt out the surprise for tomorrow.

Hunk would skin him alive.

Lance looked almost relieved to see him (to Keith’s infinite surprise) and even increased his pace so that he could reach Keith quicker. “There you are! Blue said you needed me for something?” He asked curiously, a bit of worry in his tone, “Is everything okay?”

Keith spared another annoyed look to the metal feline behind him before he turned his eyes back to his newest friend.

He really had no idea how to do this.

Give him a battle and he’d blaze through it. Give him a ship and he’d outfly everyone.

But human interaction?

Crash and burn.

“I, uh, I was feeling pretty cooped up and I was wondering if you wanted to race.” Keith blurted, mortified and a little proud of himself for not simply spitting out the plans for tomorrow.

Lance’s expression went from concerned to competitive in a heartbeat and he put a cocky hand on his hip. “Eager to get your butt kicked, Mullet?”

Letting himself fall into the familiar pattern, Keith scoffed, tossing his head. “As if. It’s been a while since I’ve wiped the floor with you. I was missing the sensation.”

The fire of competition lit, Lance groaned. “Oh, it is so on, fly boy. Go on. Meet me at the hangar doors in five. I’ll show you who is getting floor wiped today.”

“Lance, that didn’t make any sense.”

“Your face doesn’t make sense.”

Sighing heavily, Keith did his best to conceal the smile spreading over his face. He turned and ran from Blue’s hangar, sprinting to Red and flying into her open mouth. He picked his way to the cockpit, the familiar area putting him at ease.

He could do this.

“You ready, Lance?”

Blue skidded around the corner, nearly clipping Red as she ran for the hangar doors. “Born ready, baby!” Lance crowed, taking off through the opening with a skill that made Keith grin.

He’d really come a long way.

They all had.

Keith followed Lance’s example and hovered beside him in the open space behind the castle, the two Lions floating aimlessly for a moment before Lance cleared his throat. “Alright, man. You called this race. Set up our course.”

Stalled for a moment, Keith flailed, eyes darting about the space in front of them in hopes of finding something that they could use for their race.

Finally his eyes caught sight of a planet in the distance, a small asteroid field separating them from the blue speck in the distance. “See that planet over there?”

“The one on the other side of the asteroids?”

“Yeah.” Keith smirked, “First one there wins.”

He could almost hear Lance rubbing his hands together, a devious grin on his face. “Prepare to eat space dust, Mullet.”

“You should know all about that.” Keith teased, Red’s excitement only serving to fuel his own.

“Get wrecked, Red.”

Without warning, Lance took off, Blue blasting ahead. “I didn’t say start!”

“Psh. There’s no real start in races.”

Red took off after her larger sister, cutting Lance’s lead in half with barely any effort. “Yes there is, Lance. You can admit that you cheated.”

“Nah, man. I’m utilizing my resources. Like surprise.” Lance drawled, coming up on the asteroid field and darting between two of the larger rocks.

Unbidden, a laugh pulled itself from Keith’s chest and he pressed forward, maneuvering through the asteroid field with an expert hand.

He moved through the field far quicker than he had expected, finding himself on the far side of the asteroid with only a few more moments until he reached the end point for their race.

And Lance was nowhere to be seen.

“Uh, Lance. You doing okay there, buddy?”

He heard a rough exhale over the coms before Lance whined. “I may or may not have gotten myself stuck. I concede?”

Shaking his head at the Blue Paladin’s antics, Keith wheeled Red around, intending to push back into the field. Just as he was about to reenter the field, Blue barreled out, the two Lions colliding with one another, spinning through the open space.

When they finally stopped, Lance groaned through the coms and Keith huffed. “Lance, what the hell.”

“Saw an opening. Took it.” Lance panted, “Bad idea and yet. Great idea. Just like me.”

“I really worry about your decision making skills sometimes.”

“I make awesome decisions.” Lance bragged, his words trailing off as he looked at the planet they had drifted towards, “Oh that’s beautiful.”

Keith glanced up at his words, a noise of agreement leaving him as the planet rotated beneath them.

“I bet there’s some beautiful rocks down there.” Lance said wistfully.

“Rocks?”

“Yeah. I collect them.” Lance explained, “Anything cool or pretty that I find while we’re out, I collect. I have some pretty neat ones. You should see them sometime.”

“I actually collect stuff like that too.” Keith admitted, face burning, “Not rocks but interesting stuff. Scraps of twisted metal, weird grass. Stuff like that.”

“We have so much in common.” Lance teased, his voice drawling.

Keith chuckled at his words, looking to the planet intently. “Wanna go check it out?”

“Yeah I do.” Lance grinned, gearing up land Blue on the planet ahead when a shrill whistle came through their coms.

“Keith, Lance! What are you doing so far away from the Castle?” Allura asked sternly, worry clear in her face from where she had popped up on the screen.

“I’m sorry, Princess.” Lance said sheepishly, “We were racing and we got a bit far out. We’ll go ahead and come back.”

“See that you do. We almost moved without you. We’re relocating in this system.”

Allura signed off abruptly and Keith could almost feel the dejected sigh Lance gave. “Maybe next time.”

Keith gave the planet in front of them a calculating look before following after Lance. Their return to the castle was much smoother than their race and they landed in the hangars without too much of a fuss.

Rushing, Keith caught up with Lance, noticing the slight slump to his shoulders. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Just a bit disappointed we didn’t check out the blue planet.” Lance shrugged.

“Is that it?”

“Well, my birthday is tomorrow.” Lance added, “And I miss home, man. It just sucks.”

Keith nodded slowly, not entirely understanding of what was bothering Lance but knowing enough that it was truly giving him grief.

“Well, maybe tomorrow will be better than you think.”

Lance brightened a bit at that. “It is a new day.”

Keith blinked at his optimism, following him up the kitchen, participating in their usual banter, even if his mind was far away.

Across an asteroid field, to be exact.

Maybe he finally had an idea for what to get Lance.

It wasn’t fancy or overdone or even all that thoughtful but it was something that Lance would like. Something that he could do to show Lance that he appreciated him and his friendship.

Now he just had to sneak out without setting Allura off.

Maybe Pidge would help.


	6. Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At last, Lance's birthday has come. Team Voltron surprises their Blue Paladin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And its today!! His birthday! My precious blue boy!  
> Happy flipping birthday to one of my favorite characters ever. I honestly don't think I have loved a character so much in my life. I've certainly never written so much for one!

Morning greeted Lance slowly, eyes blinking at the ceiling of his quarters absently. For just a moment, he was home again, the last vestiges of his dreams making him remember the smell of pancakes and spice, the ambient noise of a full household dancing along the edges of his awareness.

By the time he came back to wakefulness, his chest ached and his eyes watered.

It was his birthday.

And he was millions of light years away from home.

It was almost enough to make him want to curl up under his blanket and cry, just spend his birthday with himself and his homesickness. It had helped to talk with his fellow members of Team Voltron this week but this was a feeling that wasn’t going to abandon him anytime soon.

The idea of staying in bed all day was tempting, so very tempting, but he pushed himself through it, sitting up and looking out over the room that he had claimed for his own.

Despite the rather Spartan furnishings, he’d done his best to liven it up and make it look like a place he resided in. He’d done so much to it already. Delicate pictures from exotic alien markets hung lightly on the walls, hovering lightly over a shelf he had begged off Hunk, the whole thing covered in all kinds of strange alien rocks, many of them glowing dimly in the darkness of his room.

There were holographic pictures of the team pressed to the walls around his bed, scenes of celebration painting his room with hope.

Every morning it inspired him to keep going, to push past the homesickness and general funk of being in the middle of a millennia long galactic war. Some days were harder than others, certainly, but he had to try. Especially when the others depended on him.

They depended on him to pull them out of the same funk and remind him that there was happiness worth fighting for. Sure, it was important that they were fighting to free the universe from Zarkon’s tyranny but it was such a lofty goal that sometimes it was difficult to keep in sight.

Personal happiness was often much easier to fight for.

Maybe Keith had had a point yesterday. Today could be a lot better than he anticipated. It was a brand new day and full of possibilities.

His Mama’s old optimism pushed him to his feet and he could feel a contented smile stretch his face.

 _Every day has the potential to be the best day ever_.

He padded to his door before it hit him.

That smell hadn’t just been in his dreams.

The familiar smell of pancakes and cinnamon drifted down the hall and Lance had to choke back a sudden surge of emotion. There was no way.

He nearly flew down the hallways, skidding into the kitchen with a wild look on his face, half-dressed and beside himself. The slickness of the floor under his socks made him slide into the room, his almost inevitable fall stopped by the most familiar arms in the world.

Good Hunk. Best soul brother in the universe.

He looked up to his best friend incredulously, a wild hope burning in his chest.

Lance hadn’t really expected anything special today. No one else had celebrated their birthday since they had come to the Castle and he certainly didn’t think that he would be the exception.

“Hunk…Is that…?” He breathed, almost unwilling to believe it.

To his credit, his best friend only beamed, his smile almost too bright to look at. “Why don’t you take a look and see for yourself?”

Excitement building, Lance pulled himself back to his feet and peered over Hunk’s shoulder, seeing the team all beaming at him, several plates stacked high with pancakes passed around the counter in the dining room. “It’s nice of you to finally join us, Lance.” Allura teased, the far more informal set to her shoulders pulling a huge smile to his face.

It had been so much fun to sit and talk with her, his hands braiding her frankly monstrous amount of hair even as they sat and laughed at the crazy situations of her favorite soaps. It was nice to be able to see Allura as a person instead of a frosty princess.

If anything it made him respect her more. He knew her and now he had every faith that she would never steer him wrong.

“Can’t rush perfection, Princess.” He drawled, suppressing a laugh as she rolled her eyes at his antics.

“Your pancakes are gonna get cold.” Keith sighed, the very tips of his hair looking oddly singed, “Or I’m going to eat them all.”

“Don’t you dare.” Lance gasped, jetting past his best friend to move between Keith and the stack of delicious, nostalgic food.

Keith only shrugged, a smirk pulling at his lips. “Don’t take too long, birthday boy.” Pidge grinned, “We have a bit day planned.”

Lance looked to his friends, his second family, with a grin so wide that it made his face ache. This really was happening. They had come together to celebrate with him today.

And Hunk had _listened._ He had paid attention while Lance had spilled his woes into his shoulder, waxing poetically over his mother’s typical birthday pancakes and how the cinnamon sugar had been his favorite.

He didn’t really want to know how much trial and error had gone into finding the ingredients even slightly similar to those on Earth but he appreciated it. The effort was overwhelming.

Emotion swelled in his chest and he eagerly took his seat, tucking into the food with a gusto that bordered on overdramatic. They were delicious and perfect, almost exactly as his mother would have made them.

If only they weren’t slightly purple.

But he’d accept it. Space wasn’t perfect after all.

He ate pancakes until he couldn’t anymore, the rest of the team enjoying the sweet breakfast, Allura and Coran scarfing them down even faster than the paladins.

“What are these?” Allura breathed, shoving yet another fork full into her mouth.

“We call them pancakes.” Hunk said proudly, “I tried to make them the same way that Lance’s mom did. I remember how good they were. She really did make the best pancakes I’ve ever had.”

Lance nodded along enthusiastically, patting his full stomach as he simply took in the atmosphere. It was homey and happy, an environment that made the smile on his feel more genuine than it had in weeks.

Once everyone had finished eating, many of them turned to Allura, a huge grin on her face. “Next surprise is courtesy of Shiro, Lance.”

Lifting an eyebrow, Lance shifted his gaze to their leader, a bit surprised to see Shiro looking a bit embarrassed. “I remember how you said you missed the ocean.” Shiro explained, “I didn’t know how soon we would find one but Allura actually found a planet in this system that has one. One that isn’t going to boil us alive, anyway. So we’re gonna spend today at the beach.”

By the end of his explanation, Lance’s eyebrows were almost to his hairline and he was sure that he was thirty seconds away from ugly crying.

Shiro had paid attention too. He hadn’t been humoring him when they’d spoken in the training deck. Shiro had listened and acted, trying to find him a small piece of what he missed from Earth.

It was touching and at the same time, thrilling. His idol, the person he had admired so much that he’d crossed the country to go to the same school as him, had paid attention to him and found a way to give him a priceless gift for his birthday.

“I…uh, thank you.” Lance choked, “Thank you so much. Shiro, that means so much to me.”

Shiro gave him a fond smile, a look that hadn’t really been directed at him in the whole time they’d known each other. “Yeah, Lance. I know. But we all wanted to make your birthday special. We even have a few of the traditions from the Altean ceremonies to throw in.”

Lance threw a happy look to Allura and Coran, the Alteans at the table beaming at him. “It’s only a few things.” Allura assured him, “And they’ll take place tonight.”

Nodding, Lance climbed to his feet and the others followed along. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get to the beach.”

“We figured you’d say that.” Pidge chuckled, “We’re all gonna meet in the hangar. Black is gonna take us down to the surface of the beach planet.”

Basically vibrating in his skin, Lance bounced on the soles of his feet. “Sounds good!”

Without a look back, he ran for his room, almost skidding past his door as he forgot about the slickness of his socks once more. He caught himself on the wall and barreled into his room, grabbing everything that he thought that he might need. He changed into his trunks and grabbed for a loose shirt, just in case, before he made his way down to the hangar. He spotted Pidge first, a giant t shirt draped over her body and long shorts sitting low on her legs. “Are those even yours?” Lance snickered, throwing his towel over his shoulder.

“No. I was just gonna wear my normal clothes because I am _not_ swimming.” Pidge sighed, “But then Shiro threw these at me. I don’t know whose they are and at this point, I’m not gonna question it.”

“You look more comfortable now.” Lance offered, grin staying strong.

“They are a bit cooler than what I normally wear. I won’t fry entirely.” Pidge shrugged, her laptop clutched under one arm.

“Hopefully, none of us will be frying.” Allura said, her voice chipper even as she popped a sun hat on Pidge’s head.

Lance nodded at her modest swim suit, the swirling pink marks on her arms and legs proudly displayed. She gave him a bright smile before ushering the two of them into the hangar where the others waited.

He really couldn’t contain himself as they all clambered inside the Black Lion. He bounced on the balls of his feet and drummed his fingers, an excited energy surging through his veins.

The beach. On his birthday. In space.

It was almost more than he could stand.

The Black Lion brought them to the surface of the planet without incident the bright sunshine almost blinding after the dimmer lights of the Castle. Lance could scarcely wait until the ramp descended before he was jumping out of Black’s maw, his feet meeting the bluish-green sand, eyes tracing over the infinite shoreline.

The water was clear and the breeze off of it smelled salty and fresh, just the beaches of home. He allowed himself a moment to just experience it before he turned back to his friends, their fond smiles making his heart swell.

“What are you waiting for?” Keith smirked, “The water is right there.”

“Race you?”

If anything, Keith’s smile broadened and Lance could only laugh, so happy to be sharing some of his joy on his birthday. “You’re on.”

The two of them raced for the water, meeting the lukewarm waves with a crash, Shiro and Allura hot on their heels. Hunk only called out warnings after them, a tube of alien sunscreen held halfheartedly in his hands. “Guys! I know that Lance doesn’t burn but two of you are so pale that you glow in the dark!”

With a grumble, Shiro and Keith returned to the beach even as Allura splashed at them, a wide brimmed hat sitting on her head, white hair bound up in a bun. Lance couldn’t help but laugh as the two paler boys resigned themselves to Hunk’s mothering.

He dove between the waves, a piece of him relaxing at last as he swam in the clear waters of an alien planet.

They swam for hours, playing in the water and even dragging Hunk in at some point, Lance climbing upon his shoulders to take Shiro and Keith on in a game of chicken.

Lance would still claim the win on that one.

When at last the sun began to set, a gorgeous muddle of orange reflecting off the crystalline waters, they returned to the beach, a roaring fire set up near the waves.

Pidge smirked at him craftily as she typed away on her laptop, soft notes starting to play from its speakers. He could only frown at her, confused as to why she was giving him that expression when it finally registered.

He knew this song. He’d listened to his song hundreds of times back on Earth. It was the most played song on his iTunes account.

But there was no way any of the others would know it. They’d clearly established that all the paladins had very different tastes in music.

“Pidge, where did you get that song?” Lance asked quietly, coming to sit near her so he could hear it better.

“Funny story.” Pidge chuckled, “I managed to hack a satellite around Earth and through that I managed to find your iTunes account. Your password was kind of disgustingly easy to break.”

“You managed to hack my iTunes account?” Lance frowned, “Wait! So all of them?”

“Yeah, Lance.” Pidge said happily, “I got you all of them. I downloaded them to one of the tablets back at the castle. I have your top ten most listened right now.”

Lance flushed at her words, a lightness to his heart that he really couldn’t explain. “Thank you, Pidge.” He smiled, “I love it. I don’t even know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything, Lance.” Pidge laughed, “But maybe we could have an impromptu dance party again sometime.”

Lance beamed, bumping gently with his shoulder before looking up as Keith cleared his throat awkwardly, Allura standing beside him with a stern expression.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yes.” Keith blurted, “I just wanted to give you the present I got.”

Pushing his hands forward, Keith looked to the side awkwardly, Allura’s expression gentling slightly. Lance leaned over his hands, jaw dropping when he saw the rough, blue stone sitting prettily in the cradle of Keith’s fingers.

“This…this is gorgeous, Keith! Where did you get it?” Lance gaped, looking between the stone and the Red Paladin.

“Remember the blue planet we raced to?” Keith explained, a happiness to his face, “I went back. Turns out it was all volcanoes…in the midst of their eruption phase. But I managed to snag a rock before they blew.”

“What he’s failing to tell you is that it was a very close call.” Allura huffed, “The Red Lion is still a bit scorched.”

“Keith!”

“I didn’t want to be empty handed today.” Keith grumbled, “And you wanted to go to that planet.”

“You didn’t have to bring me anything, Keith.” Lance said gently, “None of you had to do anything today. I’m so appreciative that you did but it would have been enough to just hang out with you guys. You’re my space family and I love all of you.”

Keith flushed at his words, all but pushing the stone into his hands, clearly unsure of how to respond even as Allura choked back a small sob. “Lance, you might actually make me cry.” Pidge sighed, a hand rubbing at her eyes.

“We’re so thankful to have you, my boy.” Coran hummed, clapping a hand on his back, “Are you ready?”

“Ready for what?”

“For the fire jumping!” Coran crowed, ignoring the concerned look on Lance’s face.

He looked to Allura in a panic, the princess only resuming her previous smile. “It is tradition.”

A little uneasily, Lance moved to his feet. “Is it safe?”

“If you run fast enough.” Keith said offhandedly, the two Alteans looking at him askance.

With a sigh, Lance just shook his head. “Alright, if mullet can do it, so can I.” He bragged, stepping next to Coran, “Am I jumping solo?”

“Of course not.” Coran crowed, “Allura and I are both going to jump with you! Your family is always supposed to make the jump with you.”

As he faced the flames, Lance could only smile, his chest so light he couldn’t think of anything but how happy he was. Allura and Coran stood beside him, Keith and Shiro on either side of them. Hunk and Pidge waited on the other side, their faces bright in the flickering flames.

This was beyond what he had expected.

It was better than cakes and candles. It was better than his previous plans to while the day away in the rec room and eat his weight in Hunk’s food goo.

As the happiness only compounded in his chest, Lance looked at his family, the family who stood beside him in this fight against an intergalactic tyrant. They had his back and he had theirs.

So he jumped.


	7. Supernova

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coran thinks over everything that has happened as a Galra fleet tracks them down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drew a bit of a blank in terms of exactly what I wanted to do but I did know that I wanted to end with Coran.   
> And I absolutely had to namedrop the last part of the title.  
> This does wrap up Lance Week and this fic.  
> Enjoy!

The alarm blared through the castle with an intensity that Coran could feel down to his bones. They’d been lucky over the last week, a rare grace period giving them the opportunity to slow down and bond with one another as they prepared for Lance’s birthday.

But now the grace period had ended and the castle was full of preparation, the life and happiness of yesterday pushed to the side, training and discipline kicking in to push the paladins forward.

Coran made his way to bridge, his own hands coming to the controls even as Allura let her hands hover over the interface. “Paladins! Status!”

“Everyone has made it to their lions, Princess. We’re departing now.”

“Hurry.” Allura called, “The fleet is approaching rapidly. They will be within firing range soon and the Castle won’t be able to hold them off long.”

“Understood.” Shiro replied, his voice rough over the coms, “We’ll take them down.”

“No worries, Princess.” Lance drawled, his voice confident as ever, “These guys are no match for us.”

A brief smile crossed Coran’s face at Lance’s easy words. The Blue Paladin had a way with putting people at ease. It was something that Coran appreciated.

The celebration last night had been something that Coran would remember for the rest of his life. These humans had shared their traditions with Allura and himself and happily taken up the Altean traditions as well. It warmed his heart and gave him hope.

Even if everything went on as it should and they destroyed Zarkon’s empire, there were only two Alteans left. But these humans wouldn’t let their traditions and celebrations die.

Coran was sure of it.

Painstakingly, he drew himself from his thoughts looking out over the battle unfolding before the Castle windows. The Lions flew through the air easily, their paladins moving like a single unit, their previous work together truly showing as they tore their way through the approaching fleet.

“What is it that they’re after this time?” Hunk asked through the coms, his voice steady and intense.

“That we aren’t entirely sure of, my boy.” Coran replied, Allura busy with raising the particle barrier on the castle, “We may have simply had the bad luck of dawdling in a sector they had planned on invading”

“I’d call that good luck. If we can stop them here, that’s one less system that doesn’t have to deal with the Galra.” Pidge said tersely, the Green Lion darting from fighter to fighter in the cosmos beyond the Castle glass.

“Still. There are a lot of them.” Hunk hummed, “It’s gonna be a rough fight.”

“We got this, Hunk!” Lance crowed, “We’re Voltron. This is nothing.”

Coran chuckled at his optimism, the other paladins picking up on his line of thinking, their movements better and more purposeful. Allura threw a grateful look out to the Blue Lion and Coran couldn’t fault her. Lance was definitely a great support to the team.

He was Voltron’s right leg after all.

While Hunk was steady physically, a battering ram of a man that was as kind as he was intimidating, Lance was steady emotionally. He was the water to Hunk’s earth, a support that could shift to where it was needed.

He was faith and certainty.

Their team would be quite lost without him.

It was clear to Coran that this week had been more important than he previously thought, especially as he looked out over battle unfolding. This team was closer, the bonds between them deeper and stronger than before.

He was so proud of them.

That pride only bloomed brighter in his chest as Shiro called out orders, the five lions coming together to become one, Voltron streaming into existence, the Legendary Defender gliding across the stars.

The fleet had no chance to take down Team Voltron.

Once the coast was clear, the one became five and they returned to the hangar, Allura engaging a wormhole. It would be better to move.

If Zarkon knew they were in one specific place, he may send a force that they wouldn’t be able to dispatch so easily. And neither Altean was willing to risk the lives of these humans any more than they already did.

This was war but it wasn’t one they could afford to lose anyone else to.

A planet, a whole civilization had already been lost to Zarkon and the Galra Empire. He wouldn’t get the humans they had come to claim as family.

Those very same humans filed back into the bridge, the triumph of their victory thick in the air. Lance led the way, an energy to his movements and a life to his eyes that hadn’t been there at the beginning of the week.

His homesickness would likely never truly abate but for the moment the star that was Lance was burning bright.

And Coran will find to his last breath to make sure that by the time that all these paladins, all of these glorious shining stars, would not be going supernova for a very, very long time.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's a wrap for now!  
> Each chapter is going to be designed to be from a different character's point of view with Lance's POV on his actual birthday. I'm really looking forward to writing the rest of the story!  
> Until next time, guys!


End file.
